Emirates is building a giant vertical farm to feed airline passengers

Growing conditions are controlled digitally. Our impact The world’s largest vertical farm is coming to Dubai. The indoor farm is a $40 million joint venture between Crop One Holdings and Emirates Flight Catering , who say it’s a way of producing pesticide-free crops while using a fraction of the water that traditional farming does. The produce will feed passengers of Emirates and other airlines at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport. The farm will be built near the airport, eliminating trucking costs and emissions. But is vertical farming really as green as it seems? To feed a growing global population – which could reach 9.1 billion by 2050 – world food production will need to rise by 70% . In addition, most of us will be living in cities, and will likely want to source our food locally. Many think that vertical farms offer a viable solution. For one thing, this type of farming doesn’t need soil. The plants are stacked on top of each other in rows, their roots immersed in nutrient-rich water. This system – called hydroponics – uses 99% less water than field farming. The plants sit under LED lights which drive their photosynthesis. The growing conditions […]

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